If we say the letters ‘SEO’, there’s a good chance Neil Patel is the first name that comes into your head. After founding CrazyEgg, Kissmetrics, and other multimillion-dollar companies, Neil turned his attention to running his agency, NP Digital, and has since become one of the biggest names worldwide when it comes to SEO and marketing.
He sat down with us to discuss SEO strategies, keyword research and content creation, as well as delivering some home truths for any affiliates reading. So here it is – all those years of hard work have been leading Neil up to his biggest achievement yet, being the next guest in our Industry Expert series.
Search Everywhere Optimisation
Yes, you read that correctly. Search everywhere optimisation. Neil claims that although Google is still the top ranking search engine in the world, you need to start optimizing for other channels if you want to stay competitive:
“People use Google for search, but they also use Bing, TikTok, Instagram, etc. For example, Youtube is the second most popular search engine. Search is happening everywhere… The list is endless. We believe that if you don’t optimize for these platforms, including the AI platforms like ChatGPT and Gemini, you’re missing out.”
Your SEO efforts have to move past just Google if you want to survive. In 2024, 64% of Gen Z and 49% of millennials are using TikTok as a search tool in order to get information on products and services.
But how does optimizing for all the other options differ from focusing on just Google?
“It varies per platform, but the one thing that’s consistent is keywords. It all starts with keyword research. You can use a lot of tools like Ubersuggest or Answer The Public to get keyword research on multiple platforms.”
And are there any spaces where affiliate marketers in particular should be focusing their SEO efforts on?
“The biggest one would be social media, like TikTok and Instagram. They can drive a lot of revenue for affiliates that are selling physical goods.”
Be The King Of Keywords
Keywords are what SEO is all about. It’s the most straight-forward (and cost effective) way to get your rankings from zero to hero, but you might need to take more of a subtle approach then you already are.
The keyword landscape is a competitive one, and chasing the most popular words and short phrases may not be the most effective way, as Neil explains:
“Going after these high volume keywords that are short-tail, two word phrases tend not to convert as well and are very competitive. You want to go after more long-tail keywords. They should convert much better for affiliates.”
When considering long-tail keywords, it’s not all about what’s popular. Zero and low volume keywords can prove much more fruitful.
Neil walked us through how out of the 8.5 billion searches on Google every day, around 1.2 billion of them are brand new searches. This means roughly 15% of the Google searches each day have never been searched before in the history of Google, since day 1!
“Going after these low volume keywords doesn’t drive as much volume, but they’re not as competitive so you are going to see quicker results, and if you go after enough of them it really adds up in revenue.”
Again, handy tools like Answer The Public are great for finding these up-and-coming keywords that have not already been saturated by everyone else.
Low-Fi vs High-Fi
If social media has taught us one thing about video content, it’s that production does not need to be high-quality to do well. In fact, we’re finding it’s quite the opposite.
More authentic and rough-and-ready video content often proves much more engaging. Neil refers to this style of video as ‘low-fi’ content.
“Low-fi content is just taking out your phone and creating content that’s not of high production style. It’s more authentic, people relate to it and it tends to convert better. That’s what’s driving more affiliate revenue.”
OK, sounds pretty straight forward, but is there a formula or knack to creating low-fi content that converts?
“It’s not that formulaic. The most important thing is you need to be talking about things that people haven’t heard before. In other words, content that’s new, fresh and isn’t stale tends to do the best.”
The rise of low-fi content is explained in very succinct terms by Neil.
“Good marketing stands out, great marketing doesn’t even look like marketing. The real key is creating marketing that doesn’t look like marketing. That way they don’t see it as an ad.”
Advice For Affiliates
When it comes to content creation, it’s no secret that affiliates like to take some shortcuts. Borrowing a few images here, ripping a few pre-landers there, it’s all part and parcel of the industry. But are affiliates missing a real opportunity?
“If you look at most affiliate review pages, they are just scratching the surface. They’ll try and find someone else’s video and pop it on the page instead of taking the time to create something that’s impactful and meaningful. Affiliates tend to take the lazy route.”
Harsh words, but we’ll admit they are perhaps a little warranted. The focus for many affiliates is very much on the offer, not so much on the creatives. And if an offer doesn’t work, it’s onto the next one, instead of taking the time to investigate and build.
“The bigger issue with affiliates is not the advertising side, it’s that they are not innovating as much, they are just copying and looking for these quick campaigns that make them money rather than focusing on what’s long term and will be best for them in the long haul.”
Focusing more on evergreen products and building funnels with impactful, original content is the way to have success and longevity in this game.
If You Build It, They Will Come
Neil concedes that there is no quick fix. Supercharging your campaigns performance through SEO and creatives won’t happen overnight, but the good news is that more effort in the short term should mean less in the long term.
Run evergreen offers, create sturdy funnels that are stacked with well researched keywords and creatives that are original and impactful. If you do that, you are setting yourself up for the best possible results.
If you think you’ve got what it takes to become an Advidi affiliate, our account managers want to hear from you! Simply follow the link here and get in touch, we’re waiting.